CA1290418C - Device for connecting electrical cables - Google Patents

Device for connecting electrical cables

Info

Publication number
CA1290418C
CA1290418C CA000559030A CA559030A CA1290418C CA 1290418 C CA1290418 C CA 1290418C CA 000559030 A CA000559030 A CA 000559030A CA 559030 A CA559030 A CA 559030A CA 1290418 C CA1290418 C CA 1290418C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
hole
base
slider
cables
screw element
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
CA000559030A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Bernardino Vigna, (Deceased)
Michele Buzzetti
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1290418C publication Critical patent/CA1290418C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01RELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R4/00Electrically-conductive connections between two or more conductive members in direct contact, i.e. touching one another; Means for effecting or maintaining such contact; Electrically-conductive connections having two or more spaced connecting locations for conductors and using contact members penetrating insulation
    • H01R4/24Connections using contact members penetrating or cutting insulation or cable strands
    • H01R4/2475Connections using contact members penetrating or cutting insulation or cable strands the contact members penetrating the insulation being actuated by screws, nuts or bolts

Landscapes

  • Processing Of Terminals (AREA)

Abstract

ABSTRACT

A device for connecting electrical cables A device for connecting insulated electrical cables (C) comprises a pair of clamps (110) each provided with an engagement block (13) and a fork-shaped slider (15) re-siliently snap-engaged for sliding in two holes in the block (13). Each block (13) and each slider (15) has a through-hole for the passage of a self-tapping screw both for piercing the insulation (G) of the adjacent electrical cables (C) to enable their electrical con-nection, and for enabling the pair of clamps (110) to be clamped.

(Figure 3)

Description

. ~ ~
~2~09L~3 The present invention relates to a device for connect-ing electrical cables having a central conducting core and an ~insulating sheath.

With the use of currently known devices, for example, screw clamps, the branch connection of one electrical cable to another requires preparation of the ends of the cables to be branch-connected to the distribution cable. This preparation, with removal of a portion of the insulating sheath, requires some skill on the part of the operator and a considerable amount of time.
Furthermore, with current devices, when two branches are to be supplied by a single distribution conductor, it is necessary to provide two sections of the electri-cal cable to be connected to the device.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device of the type specified at the beginning of the description, which does not have the above inconvenien-ces and which is simple and economical to produce.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by virtue of the fact that the device comprises a pair of insulating elements each provided with a connecting surface, a through-hole whose axis is substantially perpendicular to the connecting surface, and a seat adapted to house a portion of electrical cable and communicating with the through-hole; and a screw ele-ment which is adapted to be housed in the through-holes and screwed into the central conducting cores of two cables inserted respectively into the seats of the two insulating elements whose connecting surfaces are in . ' ~

....

` ~gt~4~

contact with each other, so as to achieve both a mecha-nical connection between the elements and the cables inserted in the seats of the elements and an electrical connection between the cables.

By virtue of these characteristics, the branch connec-tion of a cable to a main distribution cable is notably quick, safe and easy to carry out. Moreover, when two branches are to be supplied by a single distribution cable, a single section of cable can be used without the need to cut it into two sections and to prepare the ,ends to be connected to the clamp connected to the dlstribution cable.

Preferably, each of these insulating elements comprises a clamp provided with a base and a slider mounted for sliding relative to the base, the base and the slider having respectively a first and a second hole for the passage of the screw element for enabling the clamps to be clamped in a configuration facing each other.

According to another characteristic, each base is parallelepipedal in shape and is provided with a flat appendage arranged substantially on one face of the base parallel to the axis of the first hole; the appen-dage being removable from the base when the device is used.

By virtue of the above characteristics, a single type of clamp may be used for connecting electrical cables which have a wide range of diameters. Furthermore, the removable appendage permits safe insulation of the end o the central conducting core of a cable when it is branch-connected to a main conductor.

Further advantages and characteristics of the device - ~2~0~

according to the invention will become clear from the detailed description which follows, provided purely by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view which shows a first embodiment of a device according to the invention in the operative configuration, Figure 2 is a section taken on the line II-II of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a perspective view similar to Figure 1 and shows a second embodiment of the device, Figure ~ is a section taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 3, Figure 5 is a perspective view similar to Figure 3 and shows a device according to the invention in an operative configuration connecting a main cable and a branch cable, Figure 6 is a perspective view of a clamp forming part o~ the device according to the invention, Figure 7 is a section taken on the line VII-VII of Figure 5, and Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of the clamp of Figure 6.

With reference to the drawings, two cube-like insulat-ing elements, for example o~ polyamide resin, are indicated 10. Each element 10 has a flat connecting face 12 arranged to face a corresponding flat face 12 - . ~2~

of another insulating element 10 when the device is assembled as shown in the drawings.

Each insulating element 10 has a cylindrical seat 14 which is parallel to the connecting face 12 and has a fitting groove 16 whose function will be clear in the following description. Each insulating element 10 has a through-hole 18 which is perpendicular to the connect-ing face 12 and the cylindrical seat 14 and is divided by the seat 14 into a first portion 18a adjacent a face 20 opposite the connecting face 12 and a second portion ,18b adjacent the connecting face 12. A self-tapping screw V with a screw head T is inserted in the holes 18 of each element 10. When it is tightened, the head T of the screw V is engaged in a circular seat 22 in the face 20 of the element 10. The diameter o' the portion 18a of the hole 18 is greater t.han the diameter of the threading of the screw V; the diameter of the portion 18b is such as to interact with the threads of the screw V.

When the device is used, the seat 14 of an insulating element 10 is resiliently snap-engaged onto an electri-cal cable C comprising an electrically conductive core N and an insulating sheath G, the engagement taking place through the aforementioned groove 16 in the element 10; the electrical cable C may consist, for example, of a cable for the distribution of electrici-ty. In a similar manner, a second insulating element 10 is resiliently snap-engaged onto a second electrical cable C, for example a branch, also comprising a core of electrically conductive material N and an insulating sheath G.

The self-~apping screw V is then inserted through one of the faces 20 of each element 10 and, by means of its 1?.90~
.` s rotation, pierces both the sheaths G and the electri-cally conductive cores N, normally consisting of copper wires. In this way, the two insulating elements 10 are mechanically connected to each other, both by tbe in-teraction of the self-tapping screw V with the portions 18b of the holes 18 and by the clamping of the screw V
on the electrical cables C. The screw V also acts as an electrical bridge between the cores N of the electrical cables C, thus connecting them electrically.

The device according to the invention may be used to , advantage for connecting more than two cables, even with different diameters, simply by the use of screws V
of appropriate lenqth and insulating elements of suit-able dimensions.

Figures 3-8 show a second embodiment of the device according to the invention. In these drawings, the same reference numerals as in Figures 1-2, increased by 100, have been used for similar elements.

A clamp of plastics material is indicated 110 and com-prises a base 13 and a fork-shaped slider 15. The base 13, which is parallelepipedal in shape, has a throuqh-hole 118a with an axis X-X and two rectangular holes 17 arranged beside the hole 118a, whose purpose will beco-me clear in the following description. A flat appendage 19 of reduced thickness is arranqed as an extension of a side face 13a of the base 13 and, in correspondence with the hole 118a, the base 13 has a projectinq tubu-lar portion 122 coaxial with the hole 118a.

The slider 15 has tabs 15a with toothed surfaces R and a central part 15b defining a surface 21 which faces the tabs lSa and has a substantlally V-shaped section;
furthermore, the central part 15b has a through-hole l~9()~

118b which is coaxial with the axis X-X of the hole 118a when the clamp is in the assembled configuration (Figure 6).

When two insulated electrical cables C are .connected, each cable is gripped between the base 13 atid the slider 15 of the clamp 110, after the prior manual removal of the flat appendages 19 of the two bases 13.
The toothed surfaces R of the tabs 15a cooperate with the corresponding holes 17 of the respective base 13 and enable the cables C to be kept gripped in the ,clamps 110 even after manual "compression~ of the base 13 and the slider 15 has stopped.

A self-tapping screw V having a head T and a shank provided with a non-threaded portion 23 adjacent the head T and a threaded end portion 25 is then inserted in one of the holes 118a; as clearly shown in Figure 4, the screw V is screwed into the cables C, piercing the sheaths G and the electrically conductive cores N, un-til it is screwed.into the base 13 opposite the head T.
In this configuration, subsequent tightening of the screw V causes both a further clamping between the two clamps 110 facing each other in correspondence with the central parts lSb of the sliders 15 and a further cla~-ping of the sliders 15 relative to the bases 13. Upon completion of this clamping, the head T of the screw V
is enclosed in the tubular portion 122, ensuring per-fect insulation of the joint.

When a main cable C and a branch cable D are to be con-nected, the appendage 19 is only removed from one base 13, since the appendage 19 of the clamp 110 used to qrip the branch cable D insulates the end, indicated E, of the central conducting core N of the branch cable D.

., 1290~

The particular shape of the surface 21 of the central part 15b of the slider 15 enables the clamps 110 to be used for electrical cables which have outside diameters which may vary over a wide range, without -the need to provide different clamps for each diameter of electrical cable.

Claims (10)

1. A device for connecting electrical cables having a central conducting core and an insulating sheath, characterised in that it comprises:
- a pair of insulating elements (10, 110) each provid-ed with a connecting surface (12), a through-hole (18, 118) whose axis is substantially perpendicular to the connecting surface (12), and a seat (14, 16, 21) adapt-ed to house a portion of electrical cable (C,D) and communicating with the through-hole (18, 118), and - a screw element (V) which is adapted to be housed in the through-holes (18, 118) and screwed into the cen-tral cores (N) of two cables (C,D) inserted respective-ly into the two seats (14, 21) of the two insulating elements (10, 110) whose connecting surfaces (12) are substantially in contact with each other, so as to achieve both a mechanical connection between the ele-ments (10, 110) and the cables (C,D) inserted in the seats (14, 21) of the elements (10, 110) and an elec-trical connection between the cables.
2. A device according to Claim 1, characterised in that each of the elements (10) is shaped substantially as a parallelepiped, one face (12) of which constitutes the flat connecting surface, and in that the seat for the electrical cable (C) is constituted by an addition-al through-hole (14) whose axis is substantially per-pendicular to the axis of the through-hole (18) for housing the screw element (V).
3. A device according to Claim 2, characterised in that one face of the element (10) adjacent the connect-ing surface (12) and substantially parallel to the axis of the additional hole (14) has a shaped notch (16) which communicates with the inside of the additional hole (14) for enabling the electrical cable (24, 26) to be inserted laterally into the additional hole (14).
4. A device according to Claim 1, characterised in that each of the insulating elements comprises a clamp (110) provided with a base (13) and a slider (15) moun-ted for sliding relative to the base (13), the base (13) and the slider (15) having respectively a first and a second through-hole (118a, 118b) for the passage of the screw element (V) for enabling the clamps (110) to be clamped in a configuration facing each other.
5. A device according to Claim 4, characterised in that each slider (15) is fork-shaped and has tabs (15a) for sliding in holes (17) in the respective base (13) beside the first hole (118a), and a central part (15b) in which the second hole (118b) is formed.
6. A device according to Claim 5, characterised in that each base (13) is parallelepipedal in shape and has a flat appendage (19) arranged substantially on one face (13a) of the base (13) parallel to the axis (X-X) of the first hole (118a), the appendage (19) being removable from the base (13).
7. A device according to Claim 5, characterised in that the tabs (15a) of each slider (15) have toothed surfaces (R) for resiliently snap-engaging in the res-pective holes (17) of the base (13) to retain the slider (15).
8. A device according to Claim 5, characterised in that the central part (15b) of each slider (15) has a surface (21) facing the tabs (15a) and having a sub-stantially V-shaped section for clamping electrical cables (C, D) of different diameters.
9. A device according to Claims 5 , cha-racterised in that the screw element (V) has, adJacent its head (T), a non-threaded portion (23) for sliding, when the device is used, relative to the two sliders (15) facing each other in correspondence with their central parts (15b).
10. A device according to Claim 6 , cha-racterised in that each base (13) has, on one face through which the screw element (V) is inserted, a tu-bular portion (122) coaxial with the first hole. (118a) for housing the head (T) of the screw element (V).
CA000559030A 1987-02-16 1988-02-16 Device for connecting electrical cables Expired - Lifetime CA1290418C (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT8753005U IT210498Z2 (en) 1987-02-16 1987-02-16 CONNECTION DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC CABLES
IT53005-B/87 1987-02-16

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1290418C true CA1290418C (en) 1991-10-08

Family

ID=11279193

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000559030A Expired - Lifetime CA1290418C (en) 1987-02-16 1988-02-16 Device for connecting electrical cables

Country Status (3)

Country Link
US (1) US4834671A (en)
CA (1) CA1290418C (en)
IT (1) IT210498Z2 (en)

Families Citing this family (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5905230A (en) * 1995-08-15 1999-05-18 Thomas & Betts Corporation Self tapping screw for use with an electrical connector
DE10309004B4 (en) * 2003-03-01 2009-09-03 Tyco Electronics Amp Gmbh Connecting device with plug connection
US7542217B2 (en) * 2003-12-19 2009-06-02 Carl Zeiss Smt Ag Beam reshaping unit for an illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus
US7713099B2 (en) * 2008-09-12 2010-05-11 Burndy Technology Llc Electrical connector
DE202009010474U1 (en) * 2008-12-19 2010-04-29 Weidmüller Interface GmbH & Co. KG Connecting device for connecting a multi-strand conductor
CN103337718B (en) * 2013-06-08 2016-06-01 积架宝威汽车配件(深圳)有限公司 A kind of electronics line puncture type junctor

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2651026A (en) * 1950-01-24 1953-09-01 Roth Elsie Edwards S-shaped electrical connecting and clamping strap
US3688246A (en) * 1968-06-06 1972-08-29 John A Toedtman Electrical connector with insulation-piercing contact pins

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
US4834671A (en) 1989-05-30
IT8753005V0 (en) 1987-02-16
IT210498Z2 (en) 1988-12-30

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